Effects of Orientation and Glazing Material on Heat Gain in Semi-Arid Climate of Lahore

Abstract

Lahore falls in the region of semi-arid zone having long and extremely hot summer and comparatively short and mild winter. The extreme temperature in summer that spans from March to October is responsible for high solar radiation, which causes heat gain in buildings. Sun light obstruction by a horizontal shade at west, due to the low altitude of sun in summers, is not possible. This emphasizes the need of windows with high energy performance. This paper describes a simulated study conducted to test the impact of two parameters of window design i-e orientation and glazing material used, on the heat gain in semi-arid climate. The major component of window is glazing material, which is an important parameter for study regarding heat gain. The orientation is studied as it is one of the fundamental design parameter. The significance of this study is quantitative evaluation, with the acquisition of measurable data, generated through a software named as "comfen" specifically designed to investigate the window design parameters regarding solar heat gain. In testing both parameters, results show that with the gradual decrease in heat gain, the daylight entering the room is also reduced, which is also not desireable.